Reviews tagging 'Child death'

This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith

82 reviews

venetiana's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This started out really interesting, then became flat, then some plot twists, and a really bad solution. 

The ending was absolutely not satisfying - not for the most obvious reason (I can definitely respect and appreciate that), but because it really didn't fit the rest of the plot. The story simply gets interrupted and yanked back into "real life", I guess.

I wanted to like this book so much and now I'm just sad and disappointed, like I've fallen for a ruse.

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katiesmash's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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jwclaire's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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leerieleer's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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zamzamzebra's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75


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laurynsmith's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley around a year ago and never picked it up (oops), but I am so glad that I finally did. This was such an original yet powerful premise. From page one, my heart was heavy, but I will say that it wasn't as sad and difficult to read as I anticipated it being. Leesa Cross-Smith writes about a difficult subject matter so effortlessly and I appreciated that we continued to learn more and more about Tallie and Emmett throughout the course of the novel. I also thought the author did a great job shedding light into the intersection of racism and mental health. I'll admit that the middle kind of lost me there, but the ending certainly made up for it and felt realistic in my opinion. I would definitely recommend you pick this up if you are looking for a character-driven book that makes you think, though make sure you are in the headspace for it!

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lindsloveslit's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced

3.0

Never have I ever read a book I'm not sure I like, so quickly. Talk about an EMOTIONAL WHIRLWIND. I was expecting a contemporary love story, which is NOT WHAT THIS IS. That said, I appreciated that Cross-Smith wrote a book based on mental health, suicide, and therapy. In general, that isn't something that's talked about enough, and reading about the juxtaposition between hopelessness and hope was... important. But man, oh man, oh man I have a alot of qualms about Tallie (one of the main characters). Her choices consistently seemed problematic - specifically because of her profession - and made me very uncomfortable. 

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novellybritt's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Oh boy, did this book make me emotional. It didn't completely break me like I thought it would but it definitely got me in my feels. It's a great example of how people can come into your lives for a short period of time and make an impression that lasts a lifetime. This is a slow burn book, the entirety of it lasting over one weekend, but it pulls on your heartstrings. You really get to know these two characters and seeing them help each other get through of a tough time is really beautiful. While I'm not a fan of the miscommunication trope, this one is done extremely well. A huge plot of this book is mental health with suicide attempts, thoughts, therapy and so on. I personally don't have any experience with this but I thought that it was well done and the author did a great job about highlighting a very important and sensitive topic.

If you love slow burns and books that focus heavily on characters, I'd highly recommend this. Again, please be warned of the sensitive topics this book discusses because with the volume it's mentioned, it could be extremely triggering for some.

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jackelz's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Fate is something I whole heartedly believe in, and that is definitely what brought these characters together. 
 
This was a story I didn’t want to end. It was such a powerful, vibrant novel about the life-changing weekend shared between two strangers. It was uplifting yet heartbreaking; there was hope found in the most unlikely places; and you really see the magic of human connection. 


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megnotarte's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

5.0

This book deals with suicide, death, and grief, but somehow has a hopeful tone. It's a page-turner for sure and I savored every part. Also, I love when an author's writing is approachable but still manages to sneak in words that I have to look up. Definitely want to read more by this author.

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